#Kinda wanna make another partial next. Gonna be hard to convince me to wear a wig and makeup three days in a row when like

[starakex]

Sonic Cosplay Build Log

Time for another cosplay Build Log! Last log was for the Wurmple partial, and while there were some other projects in between, they didn't really have enough crafting involved in my opinion to make for an interesting blog post.

This time around, I wanted to fulfill my childhood dream of being a Sonic character, but like. THE WHOLEASS WAY. So Sonic Fursuit it is! I hesitated between Shadow or Sonic, but I ended up going for Sonic so I could be silly with it.

Lots of fun things learned during this build, so let's buckle up and get through it!

PART 1 : The Head Base

First things first, I grabbed some reference photos online of the model I wanted to replicate (Modern Sonic, mid 2000s) and scaled them up to print so I could have an idea of how big I'd have to make the head for it to stay in proportion with my body. My goal was to stay generally mobile in this costume and only need help from a handler in big crowds, so I didn't want to build the body up like the current official Sonic Mascots do. Therefore, scaling was a little more done on vibes than accurate measurements.

Once I got the head scaling down, I started on the head base. Sonic characters have orbular heads, so I used Danny McFly's Foam Sphere Calculator to help make a sphere pattern to the size I needed and got to work assembling it. Unlike my last fursuit/mascot build, I splurged and got some Spray Adhesive this time around to cut down on hot glue drying times and it was a GAME CHANGER. Bonded foam within a minute, it stayed strong from edge to edge, and it didn't get in the way of carving foam like hot glue typically does. I personally used 3M's Super 77 Spray Adhesive as it's locally available for cheap. Outside of a few cases, this is the adhesive I used throughout the entire build.

With the sphere base assembled, I began building up the muzzle and carving out the eyehole. I built a test eye... eyes?... Let's call it an eyeplate... I built a test eyeplate out of 3mm thick Sintra (a brand of solid foam PVC board) that I shaped using a heat gun. (Wear a respirator folks! Heated PVC fumes are NASTY. Protective gear is COOL, lung cancer is CRINGE) It wouldn't be the final eyeplate, but having it around was indispensable as the plate itself shifted the foam around quite a bit when in position; a paper pattern wouldn't have cut it in terms of support and proportions would have probably shifted around. It was trimmed over time throughout the build and became the pattern for the final version of the eyeplate. I also added some aluminum wire to the inside of the "eyebrows" to help keep their shape close to the eyes and prevent them from flipping up during the crafting process.

After getting the facial features blocked out, I moved on to the quills! Modern Sonic's head has six quills of various sizes. I started by building out the top quill first, as it was the easiest starting point using the side profile as it was the least distorted one from the perspective. With that first spike glued together and pinned to the head, I made the two other "top row" quills using the same pattern I drew up for the middle top quill, leaving some extra material where they connect to the head so I could trim them down before pinning them down as well.

With the top quills done, I shortened the pattern significantly and used that to make the bottom quills, which were also trimmed to fit. For the bottom quills on either side of the head, I added a bit of foam to cap the holes closed and help them rest of my shoulders more comfortably.

Once Sonic's Sick Haircut was properly glued to the head, I finished carving his facial features by adding some much needed eyebrows. I also carved some ears, though they weren't attached as they would be covered in fabric separately before being added to the head. With everything in place, I finished sculpting the head, shaving down some of the rough patches where the quills connected to the head and building up some zones with extra foam.

I used some leftover lycra from a previous project and made a lining for the entire inside of the head. As the inside is still just a sphere, I simply reused the sphere pattern from the foam base and added some seam allowance to it. (Once again, I absolutely suck and forgot to take photos of this step.) With the base done, I moved on to furring... er, fleecing the head.

Part 1.5 : The Head Skin

In order to get that Smooth Hedgehog Look, I decided to use fleece for this suit. I had been properly prepared for it to be kind of a mess (Fleece does NOT forgive), but all in all, it went pretty smoothly. For the most part, the head was mostly hand-sewn using a mix of ladder stitches and blanket stitches, with upholstery thread to make sure it'd be as solid as possible. I didn't make pattern pieces; instead, every piece was done by draping the fabric over the head, pulling it taut and pinning it down, then cutting loosely where I could hide seams (usually under each quill). I spent a sizeable amount of time watching GOMAJEOSSI's videos for inspiration on how to go about it; they had invaluable advice which I took inspiration of for some parts of the build, particularly for the muzzle and ears. I started by putting spray adhesive on the forehead to secure the main piece that would wrap around the sides, then pulled and pinned, cutting and sewing whenever I reached the back of a quill and stitching them closed with a ladder stitch. Earlier while making the base, I left a 2cm edge on each side of the muzzle unglued; that way, I could slide the fabric of the head under the muzzle for a seamless look. (Thanks, GOMAJEOSSI!)

I then draped the tan fleece over the muzzle and repeated the process, making sure to have plenty of extra fabric to tuck inside the head past the edge of the eyeplates. With the adhesive, I also made sure to really push the fabric into the slit I carved for Sonic's puzzling side-smile (Another certified banger idea from GOMAJEOSSI). To finish things off, I switched to hot glue for more precision and tucked the muzzle fabric into the open space on either side. This gave the muzzle a very nice, defined shape, which stayed just as clean after a ladder stitch between the muzzle and head fabric for a solid, permanent bond.

With only the details left, I used the same "unglued edge" technique for the ears (where the edge" is the inner connection between the tan and blue piece, gathering all the loose edges at the bottom. Once everything was bonded securely, I glued them to the head using Contact Cement for a super-strong bond (RESPIRATOR FOLKS), let them cure for a few hours, then ladder-stitched the ears to the head for a clean look. Lastly, I re carved another nose, covered it in black lycra, then glued and attached it to the muzzle using the same technique as the ears. With everything assembled, I mixed up some fabric paint into a nice dark shade and painted it into the mouth to really help define the look.

SONIC GOT THROUGH ACT 1 (phew!). We'll be revisiting the eyes later on, so it was time to move on to something else while I was waiting on some materials.

PART 2 : The Shoes

Sonic's shoes were the scariest part of the costume going in, but honestly they turned out to be a lot easier than I expected. In any case, I need shoes as a base for these for a couple reasons (the most important one being, y'know, walking an entire day with no foot support on convention cement flooring is BAD). Time to sacrifice an old pair of shoes for the shoe-ception build. I needed a strong flexible base, so I took a sheet of High Density EVA Foam (Lumin's Workshop Hard-lite), covered the bottom of the shoes and the foam in contact cement, then stood up on it for half an hour.

Once the bond between the shoes and foam was solid, I took off the shoes and built the "body" of each shoe (The upper) out of upholstery foam, just like I did with the head. I traced the shape of the soles on the EVA foam as a guide and then glued the uppers to the EVA Foam base using the sole line as a guide. Once that was done, I trimmed the excess EVA foam down.

With the base of the shoes done, I got to work covering them in red fleece the same way I did the head, with the seam located on the back of the heels. I cut the excess off and glued them on the inside and bottom of the shoes.

Once the shoes were covered in fabric, I tackled the details. The white bands were made out of white tech neoprene; it's a stretch fabric with a soft 2mm foam core, which gives it a look that was perfect for the gloves; using it for the shoes to match all white fabrics together was a no-brainer. I cut some buckles out of the EVA Foam leftovers and covered them in yellow fleece, and did the same with the rim using grey fleece. I cut out the little divot on the back of the heels before applying the fleece. In both cases, I left the backside of the EVA Foam exposed to make it take adhesive better.

Just like with the soles, I glued all details on with contact cement; shoes are going to take an absolute beating, and the long cure time is a perfectly acceptable trade-off to make them as indestructible as possible. Even with the respirator, open windows and a fan pushing it all outside, I ended up just letting them cure in the backyard just to not be haunted by The Smell once I was done.

The next day (once everything stopped smelling like toxic garbage), I sewed up some tubes of white neoprene on the sewing machine and then stitched them up by hand to the shoes to create the socks. Lastly, I bought a slab of white shoe sole material, traced the bottom of each shoe, cut it to size and cemented them on the underside to make the shoes outdoors-ready and, hopefully, truly indestructible. And with that, the shoes were completed relatively quickly!

SONIC GOT THROUGH ACT 2! The most time-consuming parts of the build are now behind us. Things are picking up as we move on to the bodysuit!

Part 3 : The Body

So Sonic's body is pretty simple, as far as fursuits goes. In my case, I skipped body padding for comfort, so doing a Duct Tape Dummy would be overkill. Fleece isn't forgiving on complex shapes like a fursuit head, but it's pretty stretchy, which makes it more forgiving on straight lines like, say, arms and legs. I used NDLWrkshop's Jumper Pattern, printed and cut it matching my selected size, and got to work assembling the base following the instructions. I cut the front and back pieces out of blue fleece and the sleeves out of tan fleece. The only major change to the pattern I made was installing the zipper on the back of the suit instead of the front.

With the base done, I went back to the upholstery foam stash, grabbed the quills pattern, and made two back spikes. I also carved a tail out of foam, and covered everything in fabric using the same drape and hand-stitch method as before. I then ladder stitched them to the bodysuit's back, double-sewing it for good measure since I predicted I'd probably accidentally smush them pretty often whenever I try sitting down.

As you might have noticed, I also took a moment to tailor the arms and legs to fit closer to my body. It's not a completely tight fit, but there's only so far you can go for a fleece bodysuit without padding; if fleece picks up the details of a fursuit head base when it's not completely smooth... I didn't really want Sonic to accidentally end up with big naturals, so the slightly baggy "mascot" look was acceptable to me. After attaching the spikes, I hemmed the arms and legs and added two straps on the arms, one for each side. Their function is to keep the sleeves down into the gloves later while moving around, and it makes them much easier to put on. I then cut the stomach out of tan fleece, pinned it on the bodysuit, then slowly cut a hole in the bodysuit matching the stomach piece, carefully re-pinning the right sides of the suit and stomach together so I could machine sew them together for MAXMUM STRENGTH. I still ended up giving Sonic boobies by accident despite my best efforts but it's nothing a good compression top can't fix... Hopefully.

SONIC GOT THROUGH ACT 3! Did somebody mention gloves?

Part 4 : The Gloves

Sonic's gloves aren't super complicated compared to the rest of the build. They're the reason I picked Tech Neoprene for the white fabric. That way, I could make them slightly oversized and have them keep their shape without having to add stuffing and lining to them and make them look... Mickey-ish. Mickey hands make you need a handler and if I'm at a con I'm going to be grabbing my phone every 5 minutes.

You might have noticed a fucked up black glove in previous photos. The truth is, the very first thing I actually did for Sonic was make a mock-up of the gloves using some leftover black tech neoprene I had lying around, so I could immediately buy the white one alongside all the fleece if my plan worked out. I drafted up a couple patterns tracing my hand on paper and adjusting finger width. I ended up making three gloves before I got a good mock-up, then I assembled a test cuff to confirm all pattern pieces.

Since the mock-up guaranteed that my plan would work, I sewed up the real gloves last so I could focus on everything else, melt my brain troubleshooting issues, then have something easy to sew last. So when I got to the white gloves... It was a pretty uneventful step, really. Except for the sewing machine REFUSING TO SEW THIS FABRIC PROPERLY. After an hour of fighting every setting and trying everything I could think of, I realized Upholstery Thread and Tech Neoprene fucking hate each other. I just swapped back to regular thread and double sewed everything and just moved on with my life.

SONIC GOT THROUGH... ACT 4... God I hate how temperamental sewing machines can get. At least it didn't spit out needles this time (WEAR. PROTECTIVE. GEAR. If you sew bastard fabrics I beg you)

Part 5 : Inside the Head

So we've got a completed Sonic, albeit eyeless and innards...less. Well actually he's got innards (I'm innards), but he's missing some QOL features inside his head. Let's remedy that by finishing up the head first. First up: The eyeplate. When I had a final shape for the eyeplate post-head completion, I measured the size of the pupils on my mock-up, drew some eye designs on Clip Studio Paint, And sent the files out to OtterHalfCostumes to be printed on mesh. That way I could thoroughly wash the head in the future without worrying about the eyes getting damaged. I checked the sizing on my test eyeplate when I received the mesh and got some promising results!

With everything properly tested, I finally cut out my second eyeplate out of Sintra, this time using the digital eye design to accurately cut and sand the holes to the exact shape. Like last time, I heat formed the eyeplate to create the right curve, and once everything fit right, I hot glued the eyemesh onto the plate. Finally, I very carefully glued the Sintra eyeplate into the head using a bunch of E6000 glue. It has a CRAZY STRONG BOND, but the cure time it also super long. It's the part I was most worried about breaking however, and it was the best choice for this specific use for a couple other reasons. I ended up with a strong, practically invisible bond for a clean look!

Now that the outside was COMPLETED, I needed to furnish my battlestation. The inside of the head is massive and wobbly and the addition of the eyeplate makes it a sauna. This is NOT a head type with good ventilation. I got to making the padding first. I tried a few shapes of padding throughout the build to test things out, but I ended up settling on a donut shape that would stabilize it like a hardhat would. I cut my donut out of upholstery form, cut a hole in the middle and carved the top diagonally to rest into the head proper, then covered it in fabric. The side resting on my head is lycra, to wick away sweat, while the side resting on the inside of the head is fleece so that it has some grip to stay in position. This allows the padding to be adjusted, and removed for washing.

FINALLY, for the very last step in this journey, I installed the fan system. It's a three-fan system with an intake and outtake fan at the edge of the neck hole, and a little fan blowing on my forehead for comfort. I added some velcro so that every fan could be removed for washing, got the battery pack pocket sewn up in the top above where the padding would usually rest so it's out of the way, and snuck the wires into the empty space above my head where they'll be out of the way.

SONIC GOT THROUGH ACT 5! It's done the build is completed holy shit

Level End Jingle

I cannot overstate how proud I am of this cosplay. It's a culmination of a bunch of bullshit crafting methods, a bunch of new techniques, a couple materials I hadn't gotten to try before. The whole thing took almost a month to the day, and it feels surreal to finally wear a costume I'd been dreaming of ever since I learned what cosplay was like 15 years ago (There was another childhood dream cosplay I completed during the pandemic, from that one series with the little green elf guy that I don't wanna clog the search page for. And it was fulfilling to make! But seeing my regular human face on a character with a stylized human face feels like the definition of the Glamour Failure trope sob) But then I look at this costume and my brain gets tricked by the overall look and it feels just right. We'll see how comfortable it actually is and if anything falls apart on the con floor in a few months, but nothing can really dampen the simple joy of being Sonic the fucking Hedgehog.

[beatlejuice64]

Destiel Season 13: A catalog of Supernatural episodes

A catalog of each episode in Supernatural that features scenes related to Destiel. This includes scenes between Dean and Castiel, scenes with other characters that address their relationship with each other, and scenes that allude to Dean’s bisexuality. 

Season 13 Summary Analysis

Dean is destroyed by Castiel’s death at the hands of Lucifer, and he is hard on Jack at first because he believes Jack is partially to blame. Dean has lost hope and given up on life, and not even Sam is able to snap him out of it. When Cas returns, Dean’s attitude takes a 180 degree shift, and he becomes softer with Jack after learning that he’s the one who brought Cas back. Dean, Cas, and Sam become highly protective co-parents to Jack. Dean and Cas establish a much more domestic relationship and are better than ever at communicating and apologizing to each other. 

My interpretation: Dean has trouble adjusting to life without Cas, and he takes it out on Jack because he feels like Jack is the reason Cas pulled away from him in Season 12. When The Empty tries to intimidate Cas into going back to sleep, Cas fights back because he knows that Dean and Sam need him. He is no longer paralyzed by his past mistakes because Dean showed him unconditional love in Season 12. When Cas returns, Dean and Cas are ready to accept their true feelings and commit to each other for real—they have each finally worked past their periods of self-loathing and are ready to accept each other’s affection. Although we never see Dean and Cas explicitly state that they are in a romantic relationship, they repeatedly exhibit loving behavior toward one another and allude to time they have spent together off screen. Dean and Cas are both significantly happier, and even Sam is glad that they’ve finally set aside their self-hatred and baggage to finally be together.

13.01 Lost and Found

Dean cannot bring himself to say out loud that Cas is dead: “Let’s see, Crowley’s dead, Kelly’s dead, Cas is... Mom’s gone, and apparently, the Devil’s kid hit puberty in 30 seconds flat. Oh, and almost killed us.”

Dean prays to God to bring Cas back and punches a wooden sign out of frustration: “Okay, Chuck, or God or whatever, I... I need your help. See, you left us. You LEFT us. You went off, you said the Earth would be fine because it had me and it had Sam, but it’s NOT, and WE’RE not. We’ve lost everything, and now you’re gonna bring him back, k? You’re gonna bring back Cas, you’re gonna bring back Mom, you’re gonna bring ‘em all back. All of them. Even Crowley. ‘Cause after everything that you’ve done, you OWE us, you son of a bitch. So you get your ass down here, and you make this right, right here, and right now!”

Dean can barely look at Castiel’s dead body. He struggles with his emotions while wrapping Cas up with care and preparing the funeral pyre.

13.03 Patience

Dean explains that he associates Jack with the loss of Cas and can’t let it go: “I can hardly look at the kid. ‘Cause when I do, all I see is everybody we’ve lost.” “Mom chose to take that shot at Lucifer. That is not on Jack.” “And what about Cas?” “What ABOUT Cas?” “He manipulated him. He made him promises. Said ‘Paradise on Earth,’ and Cas bought it. And you know what that got him? It got him dead! Now, you might be able to forget about that, but I can’t!

13.04 The Big Empty

When Cas tries to convince The Empty to send him back to Earth, The Empty intimidates him with his fears and failings: “Sam and Dean need me.” “Oh, save it. I have tiptoed through all your little tulips. Your memories, your little feelings, yes. I know what you hate. I know who you love, what you fear. There is nothing for you back there, no.”

Dean admits to Sam that he’s broken: “I need you to keep the faith for both of us. ‘Cause right now I... Right now, I don’t believe in a damn thing.”

13.05 Advanced Thanatology

Sam makes an effort to be extra nice to Dean to try to help him get through his rough patch: “I’m fine.” “No, you’re not, Dean. You said you don’t believe in anything, and that’s not true, that’s not you. You DO believe in things. You believe in people. That’s who you are, that’s what you do. I know you’re in a dark place, and I just wanna help.” “Okay. Look, I’ve been down this road before, and I fought my way back. I will fight my way back again.” “How?” “Same way I always do—bullets, bacon, and booze. A lotta booze.”

Death (aka Billie) recognizes that Dean has lost his zeal for life: “You have changed, and you tell people it’s not a big deal. You tell people you’ll work through it, but you know you won’t, you can’t, and that scares the hell outta you. Or am I wrong?” “What do you want me to say? Doesn’t matter. I don’t matter.” “Don’t you?” “I couldn’t save Mom. I could save Cas. I can’t even save a scared little kid. Sam keeps tryin’ to fix it, but I just keep draggin’ him down. So I’m not gonna beg, okay? If it’s my time, it’s my time.” “You really believe that. You wanna die.”

Dean admits to Sam that he is not okay: “You know, my whole life, I always believed that what we do was important. No matter the cost, no matter who we lost, whether it was Dad, or Bobby, or... And I would take the hit, but I kept on fighting because I believed that we were makin’ the world a better place. And now Mom, and Cas, and I don’t know... I don’t know.” “So now you don’t believe anymore.” “I just need a win. I just need a damn win.”

As Dean learns that Cas is alive, the song “Never Too Late” by Steppenwolf plays, and the camera cuts between Cas and Dean (not Sam): “Your eyes are moist, you scream and shout, as though you were a man possessed. From deep inside comes rushing forth all the anguish you suppressed. Upon your wall hangs your degree, your parents craved so much for you. And though you’re trained to make your mark, you still don’t quite know what to do. It’s never too late to start all over again. To love the people you caused the pain, and help them learn your name. ... You say you've only got one life to live, and when you're dead you're gone. Your family comes to your grave, and with tears in their eyes, they tell you you did something wrong. ‘You left us alone!’ Tell me who's to say after all is done and you're finally gone, you won't be back again. You can find a way to change today, you don't have to wait 'til then. It's never too late to start all over again.”

13.06 Tombstone

Dean gives Cas a big hug when he sees him: “Welcome home, pal.” “How long was I gone?” “Too damn long.”

Dean, who was borderline suicidal in the previous episode, does a complete 180 mood shift and gets excited to go on a hunt in Dodge City: “Alright, well, two salty hunters, one half-angel kid, and dude who just came back from the dead, again. Team Free Will 2.0. Here we go!”

When the gang enters the Wild Bill Suite, Dean nerds out about the historical figures hanging on the walls, and Cas is knowingly resigned to it: “He really likes cowboys.” “Yes. Yes, he does.”

Sam recognizes how happy Dean is: “You’re in a good mood, huh?” “Yeah, and?” “Nothin’. I just, uh... you’ve been havin’ a rough go, so it’s good to see you smile.” “Well, I said I needed a big win. We got Cas back. That’s a pretty damn big win.” “Yeah, fair enough.”

When Jack goes to wake up Dean, Cas tries to stop him, knowing how badly Dean will react to being woken up. Cas later comments on Dean’s sleeping habits: “I told you. He’s an angry sleeper. Like a bear.”

When Cas gets up to leave, Dean lifts his finger and points at his coffee. Cas understands the gesture to mean he should wait until Dean has finished his coffee and sits back down.

Cas reluctantly goes along with Dean’s insistence that he should act like a cowboy, and they reference a movie night that they’ve had at some point in the past: “Alright, listen, these Dodge City cops aren’t likely to trust big city folks, so we’re gonna have to blend.” “Which is why you’re making me wear this absurd hat.” “It’s not that bad. Well, actually, yeah, it kinda is. Hang on. [Dean removes the band from Castiel’s cowboy hat.] Alright, that’s better.” “Is it?” “Yeah. Look, just act like you’re from Tombstone, k?” “The city?” “The movie! With Kurt Russel? I made you watch it.” “Yeah, yeah. Yeah. The one with the guns and tuberculosis. ‘I’m your Huckleberry.’” “Yeah, exactly. It’s good to have you back, Cas. Alright, follow my lead. We’ll fit right in.”

When Jack shows remorse for accidentally killing someone, Dean tries to make him feel better, demonstrating that his view of Jack has shifted: “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m just another monster.” “No, you’re not. I thought you were. I did, but, like Sam said, we’ve all done bad. We all have blood on our hands. So if you’re a monster, we’re all monsters.”

13.07 War of the Worlds

Cas says he’s going to ask the angels for help finding Jack, and Dean insists on going with him. Dean reluctantly agrees to let Cas go alone and tells him not to get in into any trouble: “Dean, you can’t accompany me. My contact is already anxious about meeting and won’t speak in the presence of a stranger.” “So introduce me. Then I’m not a stranger. I’ll bring a six pack.” “Dean, I swore I would protect this boy. Let me do this.” “Don’t do anything stupid.”

When Lucifer catches Cas talking to Dean on the phone, Cas tries to play off the conversation as casual by speaking lovingly toward Dean: “Yes, I would like to see you, too. The sooner, the better.”

Sam recognizes that Dean is worried about Cas: “Don’t worry. You did tell him not to do anything stupid.” “Right. When’s the last time that’s worked?”

13.08 The Scorpion and the Frog

Sam recognizes that Dean believes in himself and his purpose again: “We’ll figure somethin’ else out. And if that doesn’t work, then we’ll move on to the next, and then whatever’s after that. We just keep working, ‘cause that’s what we do.” “It feels really good to hear you talk like that again.” “I’ll drink to that.”

13.11 Various & Sundry Villains

When Dean shows up saying he’s in love and “full on twitter-pated”, Sam is amused and surprised that Dean would express emotion like that so openly, until he realizes Dean is under a spell.

13.13 Devil’s Bargain

When Dean scolds Cas for talking with Lucifer, Cas defends himself: “Cas, I specifically told you not to do anything stupid.” “Well, he was weak, and given the context of our imminent annihilation, it didn’t seem stupid.“

Dean apologizes to Cas for not realizing that Asmodeus was posing as him while he was captured, and Cas forgives him immediately: “Cas, I’m sorry. All that time you were with Asmodeus, I... We should’ve known it wasn’t you.” “Well he’s a shape-shifter. Besides, I was the one who got myself captured.” “Yeah, but if Sam and I knew, you know, we would’ve...” “Yeah, I know, I know. You would’ve tried another long shot. I’m fine, Dean.”

Dean expresses concern for Castiel’s well-being, and Cas expresses concern for the safety of their shared family: “I’m fine, Dean.” “You sure about that?” “Right now, all that matters is getting Jack and your mother out of that place, okay? Look, I promised Kelly that I would protect her son. I intend to keep that promise.”

Cas understands Dean’s colloquialism: “We’re boned.” “Epically.”

When the boys encounter Ketch, Cas looks over at Dean and instinctively knows that Dean wants him to put Ketch to sleep.

Cas loathes Ketch on Dean’s behalf, agreeing with Dean’s plan to kill him: “I say we take dick bag here back to the bunker, find out what he knows and put a bullet in him, burn his bones, and flush the ashes.” “I like that plan.”

While the boys are talking about whether they can trust Ketch, Cas rolls his eyes at Dean’s predictable penchant for violence.

13.14 Good Intentions

Dean volunteers to accompany Cas to go fight Gog and Magog.

Dean shows concern for Castiel’s emotional well-being and considers his wants and needs. Cas is open about his worries for the future, and Dean shows him support: “How’re you holdin’ up, Cas?” “I’m fine.” “No, I just mean with, you know, everything you’ve been through, and I know you really wanna find Lucifer.” “No, it’s not that. It’s about... Well, it is that, but it’s also, I... Dean, I was dead.” “Temporarily.” “And I have to believe that I was brought back for a reason.” “You were, k? Jack brought you back because we needed you back.” “Right. And how have I repaid him? I promised his mother that I would protect him, but now he’s trapped in that place while Lucifer is here, who’s... he’s getting stronger and more powerful by the day. And if Michael really is coming, maybe I was brought back to help prepare.” “Prepare for what?” “War. War, is what Michael does.” “Well, then we do what we do, whatever it takes.”

Dean rolls his eyes at Castiel’s predictable seriousness: “Well, Enochian’s kinda tough. Maybe you got a word wrong.” “I don’t get words wrong.” *eyeroll*

After Donatello tries to hurt Dean by casting a spell on him, Cas gets angry and disregards Donatello’s safety, forcefully extracting the information they need from his mind: “I’m sorry, but I’m not going to let you or anyone hurt the people I love, not again.”

Dean is angry at Cas for making Donatello braindead, but Cas convinces him it was necessary due to their dire circumstances.

13.16 ScoobyNatural

Dean is antagonistic toward Fred for most of the episode, but it seems to be based in jealously, and perhaps a certain level of attraction: “Hey, why do you hate Fred so much?” “He thinks he’s so cool, with his perfect hair, his can-do attitude, that stupid ascot.”

Dean starts out pursuing Daphne, but her disinterest toward him and commitment to Fred help Dean see Fred’s value. Dean develops more respect for Fred as the episode progresses, and he even seems to develop a particular fondness for Fred himself, emulating his style by wearing an ascot.

When Cas asks Dean what happened with the Cartwright twins, he evades the question.

13.18 Bring ‘Em Back Alive

Cas is upset that Sam let Dean go to Apocalypse World on his own: “Dean is in Apocalypse World alone?” “No, he’s with Ketch, so he’s not alone.” “Because that makes it so much better.” “Cas, he wanted to go solo.” “And you let him?” “I... He didn’t give me much of a choice. Anyways, Dean’s right. As long as he’s over there and we’re here, we need to be taking care of Gabriel, getting him right again.”

Dean makes a joke to Ketch about his own sexuality: “You don’t look good.” “Yeah, well, you’re not my type, either.”

When Dean gets upset about losing Gabriel, Cas tries to calm him down and make him feel better: “Dean, we will find Gabriel. We will.” “We better.”

13.19 Funeralla

When Rowena flirts with Cas, Dean is visibly annoyed and Cas is awkward about it.

Dean asks Cas if he wants a beer. Cas says no, but Dean gets one for him anyway.

Cas makes a sports reference and Dean is impressed. Then Cas makes it awkward and Dean resists the urge to tell a dirty joke: “This would be something of a Hail Mary.” “Hmm!” “It’s a sports term, like slam dunk or, uh... ball handler.” “That’s uh... mnh-mnh.”

Dean and Cas talk through a disagreement without being accusatory or disrespectful: “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” “Well, Dean, we don’t have any good ideas.” “Okay, let’s just not barrel through with that like, uh, you know, like the Donatello thing.” “We had our disagreement, but we got results.” “That didn’t make it okay.” “I hear your concerns. And yes, the angels, they loathe me, and there’s going to be dangers, but heaven doesn’t want the world to end any more than we do. This is something that I have to try.”

Dean reluctantly supports Castiel’s idea after realizing how important it is to him: “Cas, you wanna try this angel thing, then go for it. Just don’t get dead again.”

13.21 Beat the Devil

When the gang goes through the portal, Gabriel stumbles and ends up with his face in Castiel’s crotch, which makes Dean visibly uncomfortable.

When Sam is mortally wounded and taken by vampires, Cas protectively stops Dean from going after him.

13.23 Let the Good Times Roll

Cas tries to stop Dean from letting Michael possess him: “Dean, you can’t.” “Lucifer has Sam. He has Jack. Cas, I don’t have a choice!”

Cas is visibly grief-stricken at losing Dean to Michael.

[peaches-of-1]

Choice #4.2- Crossed Legs

Oh wow, only 8 votes this time? Was it just to easy? Don’t worry, things will be much harder from here on in.

“Uh, sure.” I turn to the black-haired child. “Hyunjin, big Jin’s gonna take you to the bathroom. Is that ok?”

The kid nods, just concerned about getting to a restroom. Jin grabs the child’s hand and they leave the tent. I could have forced myself to ignore my weak legs if I had wanted to, but Jin offered. He’s a good guy, and I trust him.

He came into my life as a stranger. However, it is like he’s not a stranger to me. He’s Jin. Potential father and seems more than cut out for the job.

Taehyung takes this chance to scoot next to me. He gives me a nervous but still dazzling smile.

“How are you enjoying the circus so far?”

“It’s great! It’s almost like I’m 10 years old again except better. Nam--RM really seems to have stepped up and really taken charge when he became the ring leader.”

He smiles, “You got really close to him when you were kids, huh?”

I touch the ribbon on my arm, “Yeah. Well, as close as two kids can get in the span of two weeks. Also, the years of what ifs and--I’m sorry. I’m just rambling. I’m sure you don’t care to hear about such things.”

“It’s you.” He places his hand on top of mine. “I wanna know everything there is about you. Oh, sorry. Am I being too forward?”

I nod, “Yes, but I don’t mind.”

Tae has a young soul and so much energy that he just radiates warmth. It is a heat unique to him as I have met hundreds of people and none had made me feel as bright as he does. Most people like him would block your view completely, but his kind enveloped you. Eager and straight to the point, yes, but also very caring and soft.

He's beautiful too. Amber hands me a bag of treats that she needs help opening. It was sort of hard for her to ask for help, but I am glad when she does.

Namjoon stands backstage near the curtain. He is to re-enter soon after the clowns had fun to announce a quick 10 minute break to clean up their mess and get the horses in. His eyes can’t help but look for her in the crowd. (Y/N) is a full woman now, and more beautiful than he remembers.

Her hair styled to show off the shine in her curls. It had to have taken a while to get them too look so beautiful. It took forever for the showgirls to get it looking like that. The hat she wears sits like a crown on her head as well.

In all honesty, Namjoon had come back to this town because the last time he had come here, she wasn’t.

Dressed in his best casual wear, he went to the orphanage in town and asked for (Y/N).

The bony drunken woman who had answered the door said that she had been transferred to another town’s orphanage since they were split up by ages, “I handle retched children. They handle teens. Better off forgetting about her, bub. Though, I’m still in my prime. I could gladly take her place.”

She was so gross, but he declined politely. Namjoon went home so sad and partially heart broken. It had taken everything to convince the former leader to come here again. Just to see her again...and yet.

This time, he came here hoping he no longer had feelings for her, hoping she hadn’t returned. However, when Namjoon saw her on the sidewalk, it was like the first time and yet so much more. He loves her. There was not a doubt in his mind.

“I see you’ve got a favorite audience member.” Jungkook says.

“It’s her. The girl I always talk about. That’s...that’s why.” RM allows himself to be a bit shy when all eyes weren’t on him.

He raises an eyebrow, “Thought so. She’s really pretty. Such a modern girl.”

Hoseok joined in on the chat, “You gonna hook up with her while we’re here or what?”

Namjoon sat down on a chair, “No, no, she’s probably married to that childhood friend of hers. I know that’s him with her. The blonde one.”

Jungkook peeked through the curtains, “No, he’s got brownish black hair. And it’s kinda long in the back.”

The love-struck ringleader looked through the curtains once more and saw a man in a red bowtie and blue sweater vest with his hand on top of hers. They were having a moment which was interrupted by a young man.

He had asked around town about her, and she was apparently the orphanage’s new matron. No one said anything about her marriage status, but the baker’s wife was nothing less than a chatterbox. It would put a salon stylist to shame how much she talked and gossiped.

“Ironic how she got to leave that place and then it’s left to her. At least she’s got a good paying job and children, though they aren’t her own. Nothing like Miss Kim. She’s respectable and takes care of those children. I hope Jimin, her best friend, asks her to marry him. They’d make the cutest couple running that place together. It’d be a fairytale ending.”

The clowns are done, and Namjoon enters with confidence during the applause and smiles, trying not to make too much eye contact with (Y/N).

“Wasn’t that wonderful, folks? Give another round for the clowns!”

While I clap, Hyunjin and Jin return to their seats. I don’t think I’ve laughed like this in a while since most of it is in front of hopeful parents and my kids. It doesn’t make them any less joyful. Only different.

“Oh, thank you so much, Jin.” I say, patting Hyunjin on the head as he passes.

“For you.” He hands me a white carnation. “They were selling them out front, and I just had to get one for you.”

My eyes widen in surprise, and I let out a giggle, “Thank you. You’re far too kind.”

Jimin sits behind me and puts Kyla in my arms, “She’s better now, but she really wanted you.”

I nod and the show goes on.

RM announces with a glance in my direction, “We will take a 10 minute break before the second half. Feel free to interact with our troupe members, use the restroom, and get something to eat or drink. That’s 10 minutes folks! I do hope that you return.”

He tips his hat and the lights go out and fade back to normalcy.

Jimin puts his hand on my arm and rubs it, “You’ve got goosebumps. Are you cold?”

I shake my head, “It’s just a really good performance.”

He smiles as Taehyung goes back to his spot to keep a closer eye on the kids while Jin grabs the flower from my hand and puts it on my hat, under the ribbon. What a classy man.

Though it’s a bit too much for me. “I’m going to take a walk with Kyla. I’ll be back before the second half begins. Feel free to let the kids enjoy some rides.” I give the direction to Jimin since he knows these children better than the others.

My feet take me on a random path around the circus grounds. The air is fresh but thick with emotions and animal scent here and there. It’s starting to get darker as lights are now noticeable. Kyla points out things here and there but mostly keeps her head pressed against my shoulder.

A voice calls me out of my thoughts, “Ma’am, you can’t go back there!”

I stop and turn around, not meaning to go out of my bounds. “Sorry. Oh, Jumping Jungkook, right?”

He smiles like a rabbit, I notice as he grins, “Yep, that’s me. Uh, this area is for performers only.”

“My apologies. I was just walking around. Me and the little one needed to get some air. It really gets warm in there.”

Jungkook’s eyes turn to the slightly tired cutie dressed in a light purple dress and holds her hand while talking to her in the tone that babies usually receive. Kyla was six and really cute after-all. She giggled and smiled.

He then turns his eyes on me, “Is she your little one? I mean no offense, but you just don’t look like...” He trailed off.

“No, no, I’m just run the local orphanage. She’s the youngest there. I’ve no kids of my own but a bunch of others that I care for as if they were.” I pause. “I’m sorry, but you have the most beautiful eyes. I just had to say something.”

A blush rises in my cheeks as Jungkook stands up straight and his smile gets bigger. He shyly looks away for a moment and laughs nervously.

“Thank you.”

I return his smile, “Oh, I didn’t hurt you when I grabbed onto you earlier, did I?”

“Ah, no, no, no. I’ve had tighter grips.” He flexed his bicep. “And I can handle all of them. So, you didn’t hurt me one bit.”

“Oh, thank goodness.”

A voice from behind me called for Jungkook, “We got three minutes. Get your next costume on!”

“Seems like I’ve gotta go. I hope you enjoy the rest of the show! It was nice meeting you two ladies, bye!”

“Bye! Can you wave goobye, Kyla?”

Kyla waved, Jungkook waved back, and I went back inside with her.

The show soon ends. Jimin makes fun of my facial expressions during some moments.

“You were as excited as the kids, (Y/N). It was so adorable.” He laughs.

I look up at the sky, not ready to go home yet. I just want to bask in the moment of the circus for just a bit longer. “I wish I didn’t have to drive.” I yawn. “It’s such a nice night for a walk.”

Jimin speaks up, “Well, two of us can drive home with the kids and get their baths started. I’m sure the older kids can help the younger, too.”

“Why only two?” I ask.

“One of us has to walk home with you. It’s getting late, and the streets aren’t the safest place for a lady to be during the night.” Tae answers.

I take a moment to think. I can have one of these men walk me home, but I also sort of want to see Namjoon. Surely Jimin will understand and take care of the children for me. They are all tired, too, so they won’t be that difficult to take care of. It’s not irresponsible if you have backup.

Hmm, which one should I spend the rest of the night with? If it’s one of these men, I’ll probably invite them in for dinner or something to drink. If it’s Namjoon, I could run into another performer on the way there. Also, I really want to see him again. I need to know how he feels about me.

I don’t know if I’ll get another chance.

Vote HERE

[queen-scribbles]

Worth It

Merry Christmas, Alex! :D Partially inspired by this from Christmas a couple years ago, partially by the ugly-Christmas-sweaters-everywhere thing. They took forever to give me an ending, hence the silence about its existence. I wanted to be sure it wasn’t going to stay a WIP. xD

“C’mon, Harvey, we’re leavin’ in, like, ten minutes for my house; you need to get ready.” Trinne leaned over the back of the couch to kiss him on the cheek and playfully reach for his book.

Harvey absently leaned into the kiss but moved the book out of her reach. “I am ready.”

“Um, no, sweetheart.” She smiled almost apologetically as she dropped a pile of (mostly) green and brown wool next to him. “You hafta wear the sweater Mom sent you.”

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow(Trinne wasn’t sure if it was skepticism or reluctance. Maybe both. She couldn’t blame him). “Really? I have to?”

“Why the hell do you think I’m wearin’ mine?” Trinne retorted, tugging at the scratchy blue wool

Harvey shrugged and closed his book. “I figured you were being nice and trying not to hurt your mom’s feelings. You’re like that with your family.”

“Pfft, no,” Trinne snorted. “I’m not that nice, even with them. It’s Amell family tradition, trademarked when I was about.... five.”

“It’s not really cold enough for sweaters,” Harvey pointed out. “Everyone will melt.”

Trinne shook her head, grinning with extra (fake) sweetness. “Not if Dad turns down the heat. And you and I are serious enough, Mom considers you part of the family, so that argument’s no good either.”

“...Can we say Queen chewed on it?”

Another shake of her head. “You don’t wanna do that, trust me.” She climbed over the back of the couch to sit with him. “Two things will happen: she’ll bug Aed for a week minimum about has he taken his dog to the vet, is she okay, eating yarn is bad for dags, yada yada. And she’ll pull out the back-up sweaters for you to pick from.” Trinne made a face and raked her fingers through her hair. “This is a big deal for her and Dad.”

“Obviously, if there’s a box of back-up sweaters,” Harvey muttered, probably wondering what the hell he’d gotten himself into dating her.

“I mean, these sweaters are, like, twenty or thirty years old,” she explained, raising her hands in a gesture halfway to a shrug. “From when Mom and Dad were our age, so they smell like mothballs and are legitimately ugly. They’re awful. So we wear the newer cheesy-bad ones Mom gives us cuz the alternative is scare-off-your-date levels of ugly.”

“Okay, there’s a story these. Just not sure it’s one I want to hear.” He eyed the green and brown sweater and set his book down on the coffee table.

Trinne laughed, moving the sweater to Harvey’s lap so she could scoot closer. “Long story short, when Jowan was... seventeen or eighteen--I forget which exactly, but not long after he officially became part of the family--he tried to convince Mom the washer or dryer had mangled his sweater cuz his new girlfriend was comin’ and he didn’t want to wear it in front her. And I’m talkin’ new girlfriend; they’d only been goin’ out a month, tops. Her family was really “proper” and kinda classy and upper-crust-ish an’ I’m still not sure how Jowan got her to go out with him-”

“Trinne, this isn’t short,” Harvey interrupted, half-smiling as he nudged her shoulder with his.

“Right, right, sorry. So he tries to get out of wearin’ it by saying it got ruined, Mom goes ‘It’s okay sweetie’ and gave him one of the backup sweaters to wear. Didn’t let him pick, mind you, just handed him this monstrosity that looked like a Christmas tree ate a reindeer and threw up all over the damn sweater-”

“Descriptive,” Harvey said dryly, running his thumb over one of the santa hats that decorated his sweater.

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure he had a few seconds where he almost wished we hadn’t adopted him. But only almost, b’cause, I mean, he got me for a sister, so that’s worth it, right?” Trinne joked. “Anyway, he and this girl were broken up before New Year’s. Not sayin’ it’s just because of the sweater, but I’m pretty sure that was a contributing factor. Course if she scared off that easily, she wouldn’t have fit in anyway...”

“Mm.” Harvey shot her a look. “Sounds like your parents use this to gauge the people you or your siblings date.”

“If it is, you’re afe,” she promised, poking his side teasingly. “Mom loves you. And, I mean, one good thing about this is she says it counts as her Christmas present, so we don’t mind doing this to make her happy. An’ that girlfriend is the only significant other who got scared off. We just don’t let Jowan live it down, ‘cause where’s the fun in that?”

Harvey shook his head with a small laugh. “You’re terrible, you know that?”

“Yep. It’s part of my charm,” she grinning, extra cheesy on purpose. “And if you really don’t wanna wear your sweater, I can turn said charm on my parents, try an’ talk ‘em out of making you wear one. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable...” She rested one hand on his shoulder and absently ran her fingers through his hair. “Or we can not go and I’ll apologize later.”

“No, that’s okay,” he assured her. “If it’s important to you, I think I can manage to wear a somewhat ugly sweater for a few hours. Besides, what’re you going to tell them for why we can’t come? It’s not like I have family parties to worry about.”

She nodded concession of that point. “Are you sure? I really will try and talk my folks down if you want me to. It’s not that big a deal.”

“Yes, it is,” Harvey contradicted, smiling fondly as he pushed to his feet, taking the sweater with him. “You gesture a lot and get all... rabbit trail-y when you’re talking about something that’s important to you. You’ve done both over the course of this conversation, so I will wear the sweater. It’s okay.” He picked up the offending garment and headed for his room.

“You could just change out here, y’know,” Trinne called after him, grinning as she slouched down on the couch and put her feet on the coffee table. “Nothin’ I haven’t seen before.”

“Clothes stay in the bedroom,” he returned, voice briefly muffled as he pulled on the sweater. “Or Aed’ll never let me hear the end of it.”

She frowned. “That doesn’t sound like him...”

“Because I always give him grief about how often he leaves his clothes everywhere,” Harvey clarified as he emerged from his room, dark green button-down exchanged for the sweater.

“Ah. That makes a little more sense,” Trinne laughed.

“It doesn’t have to be spotless or anything,” he said, offering her his hand.  “Just... the couch is for people, and occasionally large slobbery dogs. Not dirty laundry.”

She giggled as she accepted the help up. “That’s fair. And that sweater doesn’t look that bad on you, by the way.”

Harvey wrinkled his nose. “You’re just saying that-”

“Because it’s true,” she cut him off. “And cuz I know you’re wearing it for me.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“We can count this as my Christmas present, too, if you want.”

“No, I already got you something. This is just one of those boyfriend things.”

“That you do with far less complaining than some, if any at all, because you’re a wonderful person,” Trinne finished for him, sliding her hand in his and trying very hard not to think about the last (only other) boyfriend she’d dated long enough to take to the family get-together. She mostly succeeded. “And I appreciate it so much, seriously. But we need to get going or we’re going to be late. Which is almost as bad as not wearing your sweater.”

“How many rules are there to this gathering, dare I ask?” Harvey said as he opened the door.

“Not so much rules as traditions,” she replied with an almost sheepish shrug.  “Like, there’s no real punishment beyond copious teasing. And those are the only two big ones, but Isla’s probably gonna throw mistletoe at me at some point--cuz that’s more fun than tricking us into standing under it--and various other things that... well, let’s just say if you wind up wondering what you’ve gotten yourself into with me, I won’t blame you.”

“Trinne, I’ve already done that at least once a month since we started dating,” he laughed on their way down the hall. “The answer’s pretty much always the same; nothing that isn’t worth it.”

Trinne felt her face heat. “Cousland, if you don’t stop being so damn sweet, we aren’t going to make it to my house. Even if it means I’m the one who gets razzed now instead of Jowan.” She grabbed the front of his sweater and tugged him down into a kiss. One that only ended because they sort of veered into a wall. “Oops..”

“Is this going to turn into one of our holiday traditions?” Harvey mumbled, only half joking, free hand still braced against the wall.

“What making out on the way to the car?” Trinne whispered, grinning mischievously as she released her grip on his sweater to rub the back of her head. “Shit, Harv, I’ll do that year round and you know it.”

“True,” he conceded with a small smile, pushing off the wall and tugging her with him. “I was thinking more along the line of us being late to this party because you can’t keep your hands to yourself,” he teased.

“Oh, that.” She paused to consider a moment. “Yeah, probably. ‘Specially if you’re this sweet about it every year.”

“Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, holding the door for her.

“So you can do it more or less?” Trinne needled with a laugh, unlocking’ the car.

Harvey smiled as they climbed in. “You’ll just have to wait until next year to find out, won’t you?”

“Jerk,” Trinne huffed and glared at him, but that just made him smile wider. “It’s a good thing you’re cute, you know that?”

He laughed. “That much of a handful, am I?”

“Don’t worry,” she smiled, leaning over to give him a peck on the cheek as she started the car. “You’re worth it.”

-----------------------------------------------------

Ugh, I’m so rusty on these two I’m a little irritated at myself. :P Hence the modern AU; they’re a little easier there than in canon. And oh the irony of Trinne implying Harv’s the handful in this relationship. You’re lucky he loves you, you dork.

(for newer followers, bc GOD it’s been that long since I wrote them, Trinne Amell is mine, Harvey Cousland belongs to @errantgoat)

[queen-scribbles]

Nothing Serious

“Ah, Captain, you brighten my day, fatten my bank account, and gun down Imps like maimed banthas. Marry me  when this war is over.”

He’d been joking.

Implementing the combination of flirting and banter that was so kriffing easy with her. And she knew that, which was why she played coy and suggested they stick to drinks for now. It was banter between colleagues, nothing serious.

-----------------------

The drinks didn’t happen until they were back on Coruscant, snatched in Briyoni’s final free hours before Havoc left on another mission. But they were both more themselves than they could have been in the field, which Jonas appreciated. There was still plenty of flirting and witty banter between them, and Bry was a dangerous combination of wickedly sarcastic and fiercely patriotic all wrapped up in a killer figure she had no qualms about showing off. But it was just drinks. Nothing serious.

-----------------------

He helped her track down the Deadeyes for her XO. Well, as much as he could. He wanted to keep his job, and there was only so far he was willing to bend the rules, even for pretty blue eyes and tattoos that accentuated her cheekbones. Zane was a stuffed-shirt blowhard, but Jonas knew better than to push him too far. So he helped as much as he could and breathed a sigh of relief when Bry claimed ‘Havoc Op’ to divert the Senior Agent’s ire. 

“I should marry you for that,” he quipped, partially just to watch Jorgan bristle.

She laughed, rolled her eyes as she playfully slugged his arm. “How ‘bout we hold onto that for when I do something truly impressive, like save the Republic? For now you can finance a couple hands of sabacc. I’ll buy drinks, since you did us a favor, too.”

“Deal,” Jonas laughed, trying not to feel relieved when Jorgan decided to return to the ship instead. They were just friends hitting the casino, planning to drink some drinks and lose some money. Nothing serious.

-----------------------

Their paths crossed again shortly before her mission to Hoth.

“I’m resupplying before we take off,” she laughed, gesturing to the large bag of equipment and cold weather gear Forex was carrying. “But I can probably spare some time if you wanna grab a quick drink...?”

“Sure. I’ll just tell them I got lost between the spaceport and the Senate Tower. There’s no way they’ll question that.”

She giggled. Stars, but he did like her giggle. Their ‘quick drink’ turned into two, then three. Then into stolen kisses, which very nearly turned into more. And would have, if Bry’s medic hadn’t commed and pointed out in sickly sweet tones that they really should get moving.

“Sorry,” Bry whispered, stealing one last kiss. “She’s right.”

“S’alright. Go save the day.” He tried to mean it. They were, at best, ships passing in the night. Nothing serious.

-----------------------

They met much more deliberately after her team took out the Gauntlet.

“You free?” she commed, and as luck would have it, he was. He didn’t tell her that if he hadn’t been, he would’ve done whatever it took to change that. The visits they managed to squeeze in were rapidly becoming the only bright spots in a life that ensured he saw far, far too much in the line of duty.

“Jorgan give you any grief about meeting me?” he teased in greeting when she showed up at his door. (One good thing about being gone so much; his place stayed clean)

“Nah, but that’s probably just ‘cause he’s unconscious in the medcenter right now,” she sighed as she sat down, eyes dark as her tone was light.

“Well, now I feel like a jerk,” Jonas groaned. “He gonna be alright?”

“They think so,” Briyoni nodded, rubbing the new scar that bisected her chin tattoo. “Just earned himself another commendation for bravery, which was long overdue, anyway. But I’m not here to talk about work.”

He smirked and leaned closer, until their noses were almost touching. “Then why are you here?”

She accepted the challenge, stole a quick kiss before answering. “Because life is heavy, and you’re a damn good distraction, Jo.”

“Anybody else’d get kicked out for calling me that,” he grumbled good-naturedly under his breath.

“What, distraction? Or Jo?”

“Either,” he admitted, hand rubbing her arm nonetheless.

“Well, then, let me rephrase; I think you’re a damn good use of my time, Jonas.”

“That’s better,” he mumbled, fingers sliding up into her hair as he kissed her.

There wasn’t much need for words the rest of the night. They were both plenty vocal, though.

“Mm, after an evening like that, I feel like I have to ask again if you’ll marry me when the war’s over,” he commented in the lazy morning sunshine.

“You have to, huh?” Bry said playfully, sitting up and running a hand through her tousled hair.

“I’d be an idiot if I didn’t try my damnedest to hold on to someone as fantastic as you.” He sat up as well, punctuating the sentence with a kiss.

“Fantastic? Is that the best you can do?”

“Well, I mean, there’s also beautiful, and sexy, and witty, and strong, and perfect-” he followed each with another kiss- “but I didn’t want it going to your head.”

“Too late.” She pulled him in for a final kiss before climbing out of bed. “I think our next step should be you buyin’ me dinner.”

“That how it goes with you?” he teased, reaching for his clothes. “Drinks, sex, then dinner?”

“Only for the special ones.” She winked as she pulled on her top. “The rest just get drinks. But you’re fun, and you make me smile.”

She didn’t stick around to eat, insisting she needed to get back to the medcenter, then check in with Garza Jonas watched her go, knowing he would have to convince himself before he could convince his superiors their relationship was still nothing serious.

-----------------------

Their lives diverged for a few months after that, and he’d be lying to deny his heart lodged in his throat at the tidbits he heard about Havoc’s missions. Of course, with the war ramping up, his own life was dangerous enough to keep him occupied, and he couldn’t help wondering if she worried about him, too.

He found out when they managed to steal a moment following the Senate hearing and Zian’s arrest. She greeted him with a long hug, and he could feel the flutter of her heart.

“I really need to get moving,” she admitted, eyes tired but obviously happy to see him, a sentiment she’d kept bottled up earlier, with Garza there. “But I can tell Forex to have ‘em run a maintenance check, buy us a couple hours, if you have time?”

“Always, Major.” He waited until she’d passed along the instruction, then all but dragged her to his apartment. “Don’t want to waste any time,” he explained when she giggled. He still loved that giggle.  They didn’t waste time.

“I heard a rumor you got caught in that mess on Corellia; the Dark Council member gettin’ schooled by some up and comin’ lord,” Bry whispered in the aftermath, her back pressed against his chest. “I was worried...”

“Nah, Trant pulled me for a deep cover op on Hoth. I see why you hate it so much there.”

She shivered and hummed an agreement. “Y’know, I didn’t realize how much our... visits meant to me ‘til I thought there wouldn’t be any more....”

He froze in the middle of kissing her shoulder, breath coming in a sharp rush. “Well, y’know, if you would marry me we could make ‘em a more regular thing.” He tried--Stars, how he tried--to keep his tone as light and teasing as every other time he’d suggested that, but from her long silence, he must have failed.

Finally, though, she rolled over and met his gaze with mischievous eyes. “Okay.”

“Wait, what?!” He propped himself up on one elbow to stare at her incredulously.  “Are you serious?”

She nodded, giggling like crazy.

Jonas sat upright. “No way, we can’t let that be my proposal!” He never seriously thought he’d be the marrying type, but even he knew you treated it with more reverence than that.

“Okay, then.” Briyoni sat up as well. “Do it right.”

Fighting the urge to laugh crazily himself--because he’d toyed with the idea of this day for months without expecting it to actually come--he leaned forward until his forehead rested against hers, took her hands in his, and cleared his throat. “Alright, I don’t have a ring, ‘cause this is kinda spur of the moment--and you don’t really wear ‘em anyway--but, Briyoni Nerai, will you marry me?”

She grinned wide, bit her bottom lip, and nodded. Before leaning forward to kiss him fiercely enough they both nearly toppled off the bed. “After the war’s over. That was the deal, right?”

“Yep,” he managed, the heady combination of joy and impatience making it hard to breathe. This war needs to be kriffin’ over.

After a few more giddy, giggled kisses, they parted reluctantly to dress and head  back to work. Bry had an Imperial general to hunt, and Jonas needed to figure out how to tell his superiors that what had started as casual flirting on a standard op had turned into something else entirely. 

Something serious.

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I know I’m late to the Balkar love party, but hey, I have a lot of toons, and Jorgan is very, very distracting. :3 (And ofc, because I’m me, they don’t get just a straight happy ending. He still gets sent to Denon for that job he describes as ‘nasty’ and even if Bry’s sister, Vica, would be the Outlander, Bry and Jonas still wind up separated for a while with all the Eternal Empire chaos. There’s eventually a reunion and a ”Marry me right now or i stg I’ll punch you in the face”, but when have I ever made things easy on my children?)